Asia has gone through more changes in the history of
Disney's Animal Kingdom than any other section of
the park. When the land first opened it was not even
close to being similar to the Asia we all know and
love today.

When the park first opened the only current Asia
attraction that was present was Flights of Wonder.
This, however, was not considered part of Asia since
Asia technically did not exist at the time.

On the one year anniversary of Disney's Animal
Kingdom, Asia opened with Tiger River Rapids and
Maharajah Jungle Trek. Eventually people began to
question why Tiger River Rapids didn't have any
tigers present and the attraction changed to the
current name, Kali River Rapids.

To make guests feel like they really were in Asia, Disney
decided early on that they would have to create a fictional
area for the park that encompassed all of Asia instead of a
specific country.

The town of Anandapur was then created with an elaborate
storyline which would fully take form in 2006 when
Expedition Everest joined Disney's Animal Kingdom's version
of Asia. The story consists of guests stopping by a town at
the bottom of the mighty Mount Everest. Some guests may take
the trip to the top of the mountain (although you never
actually are on Mount Everest. We'll talk about that in the
Expedition Everest section of A Closer Look), while others
may decide to take a stroll through old temples in search
for tigers, bats, and other animals.

To help guests get the feel of actually being in Asia,
Imagineers spent time in Asia collecting different artifacts
for the land. The bicycles, carts, and crates you can see
throughout the land really did make the trek from Asia, as
did the statues, clothes, and artifacts found in Expedition
Everest and Kali River Rapids queue lines.

The current attractions in Asia are Flights of Wonder,
Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kali River Rapids, and of course,
Expedition Everest.

Fun Facts: While walking through Asia pay
close attention to the ground. Here you can see footprints
and bicycle marks scattered throughout the area. To give the
illusion that you are walking through a somewhat muddy
street, Imagineers and their children walked through the
land while the ground dried, which helped give the illusion
that you really were walking around in this fictional city!

Touring Tips: If you visit on a hot day,
make sure you grab a fastpass for Kali River Rapids. The
attraction gets very crowded during hotter days and is the
best way to cool off in Disney's Animal Kingdom!

Make sure you also get a Fastpass for Expedition Everest
since this is one of the most popular attractions in the
park. If you don't mind riding with a stranger, hop in the
single riders line which cuts down the wait drastically. The
single rider line is hidden off to the right of the Fastpass
Return line.